What to do about transcripts?

[sc575]

So I sent a paper transcript to the PO box on May 15th and bc of all the issues I'm worried it won't be received. But I'm also worried about sending a PDF one because my school is dumb and has it expire after 30 days and they cost a stupid amount of money. I've seen a few people from unofficial schools commenting that their PDF hasn't been received after 2+ weeks so I'm worried about mine expiring before it's looked over. Do y'all think I should spend the money & send a PDF or just hope they get my paper one?

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[KnightDoc]

So I sent a paper transcript to the PO box on May 15th and bc of all the issues I'm worried it won't be received. But I'm also worried about sending a PDF one because my school is dumb and has it expire after 30 days and they cost a stupid amount of money. I've seen a few people from unofficial schools commenting that their PDF hasn't been received after 2+ weeks so I'm worried about mine expiring before it's looked over. Do y'all think I should spend the money & send a PDF or just hope they get my paper one?

How much is a stupid amount of money? If you don't have FAP, just submitting applications is going to cost you $3,000+.

Edit: AMCAS requires that .pdf files not expire, so that's a no-go, even if it's free!

"Requirements for Delivered Files
1. All files should be PDFs, with a “.pdf” file extension. File names (including extension) must not exceed 100 characters.
2. Files should not expire and should not contain restrictions on copying or printing.
Optional: files may be secured with a password (one password per sender) or encrypted with a certificate. The password or certificate would need to be provided to AMCAS before file delivery."

 

[HouseJC]

How much is a stupid amount of money? If you don't have FAP, just submitting applications is going to cost you $3,000+.

I agree with Knight. In the big picture, money spent on sending transcripts will be minimal compared to the costs of sending secondaries and flying for interviews (assuming they don't go virtual).

If you do decide to send an electronic copy, make sure your school is affiliated with AMCAS. Otherwise, to my knowledge, an electronic copy will not work. AMCAS posts their progress on when transcripts are received. For today:

"As of May 27 AMCAS is:

Marking transcripts as "Received" that were delivered on May 18".

 

[sc575]

How much is a stupid amount of money? If you don't have FAP, just submitting applications is going to cost you $3,000+.

Edit: AMCAS requires that .pdf files not expire, so that's a no-go, even if it's free!

"Requirements for Delivered Files
1. All files should be PDFs, with a “.pdf” file extension. File names (including extension) must not exceed 100 characters.
2. Files should not expire and should not contain restrictions on copying or printing.
Optional: files may be secured with a password (one password per sender) or encrypted with a certificate. The password or certificate would need to be provided to AMCAS before file delivery."

Oh, thanks for pointing that out, I've been on that page 20 times today and I don't know how I missed that!

 

[pth33]

If you're talking about Clearinghouse's expiration date, the link to retrieve transcript expires in 30 days from when it is sent.
They send you the access code and link to retrieve transcript in separate emails.

Not sure how AMCAS does it, but I would assume that once they retrieve it (the link lets you download the PDF), then I'm not sure if you have to worry about 30 days expiration. Anyone want to chime in?

 

[sc575]

I agree with Knight. In the big picture, money spent on sending transcripts will be minimal compared to the costs of sending secondaries and flying for interviews (assuming they don't go virtual).

If you do decide to send an electronic copy, make sure your school is affiliated with AMCAS. Otherwise, to my knowledge, an electronic copy will not work. AMCAS posts their progress on when transcripts are received. For today:

"As of May 27 AMCAS is:

Marking transcripts as "Received" that were delivered on May 18".

They're accepting electronic copies from anyone right now because of COVID, which is why I was considering sending it even though my school is unaffiliated with them.

I know the cycle is gonna cost a ton and I'm paying for it by myself which is why I'm trying to save any money I can. It's $20 per transcript and I've had to send out some for jobs and internships in addition to my app and it's starting to add up.

 

[sc575]

If you're talking about Clearinghouse's expiration date, the link to retrieve transcript expires in 30 days from when it is sent.
They send you the access code and link to retrieve transcript in separate emails.

Not sure how AMCAS does it, but I would assume that once they retrieve it (the link lets you download the PDF), then I'm not sure if you have to worry about 30 days expiration. Anyone want to chime in?

My registrar says the PDF itself expires so I'm honestly not sure.